The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of philodendron plant named Splendor.
The new cultivar was discovered growing among several hundred random seedlings obtained in approximately September of 1977 from Bamboo Nursery, Opapka, Fla. The plants were approximately 3-4" long with roots, but not rooted in soil, and were indistinguishable one from the other at the time of purchase. The parentage of the new cultivar was not known at the time of acquisition, nor is it now known.
When the seedlings were grown to mature plants by the applicant in Melle, Belgium in the greenhouses of the applicant, the novel characteristics of the new cultivar were readily evident. Asexual reproduction by me of the new cultivar by tissue culture beginning in approximately 1986 in Melle, Belgium, and repeated asexual reproduction thereafter, has demonstrated that Splendor retains its distinctive characteristics through successive propagation.
The following characteristics in combination distinguish Splendor from other philodendron cultivars of this general type.
1. Vertical growth habit, with the plant normally being attached to a moss pole or similar support to better express its vertical growth.
2. Relatively short internodes for a vertically grown cultivar, thereby producing an abundance of foliage.
3. Slow and vigorous growth, resulting in a strong plant.
4. Propagates very efficiently by tissue culture.
5. Strong and resistant.
6. Slower grower than Red Emerald.
7. Does not lose its older leaves, which remain perfect in color and shape.